The Answer Man is everywhere it seems, but Andy Katz still finds time to answer a few questions from ESPN.com users he receives each week.

I was just reading your comment on the 'Cuse, and how they are the only team that has the potential to make it to the Elite Eight. Have you not been watching UConn lately, are they not one of the hottest teams in the nation? I would just like to know your take on the UConn team and why they have gotten no love from ESPN and everyone else in the nation. They are now the ONLY undefeated team in the Big East at 5-0, and if we beat St. Johns tonight, an impressive 6-0 start. So what do you think Andy?
Ben Strouse
Norwich, Ct.

Ben, I'll revise my thoughts. I'd be surprised if either Syracuse or Connecticut make the Elite Eight. That doesn't mean they can't, but I just don't see the Big East producing an Elite Eight team. As well as Connecticut was playing going into Saturday's game at Arizona, I still question if they can string together three straight elite performances against teams that might be better than the teams they're playing in the Big East or North Carolina. I disagree on the no-love part. If you watch College Hoops Tonight we have talked about Caron Butler and Emeka Okafor at length. We have also featured the Huskies on the site more than any other team not in the top 25.

Why don't you finally talk about Tulsa? These guys work their tail off every year, and never get attention. What does it take? Does the fact that they have had seven 20-win seasons in the last eight years not do it? What about the six tourney appearances in those eight years, which include two Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight? Or you could look at their 177-66 record over that time span, with an average RPI of 41. Oh, and by the way, why isn't Tulsa's first-year coach, John Phillips, on your list? I think 14-3 in your first year is pretty nice.
Chris Harmon
Tulsa, Okla.

Chris, You're right, Tulsa does deserve more coverage. The Golden Hurricane have put together another sensational season and John Phillips is coaching this team to another postseason run. The guard play is solid, quick and just as tough defensively. If they can get consistent scoring inside then they can win the WAC. They had a great shot to beat Fresno State on the road earlier in the month. Phillips should be on the list of great first-year coaching jobs. Thanks for the note.

Is Northwestern NIT material this year? Please give me your thoughts on how we should stack up against the Big Ten the rest of the way. I know we played a soft non-conference schedule and lost some questionable games, but what would it take for my Wildcats to be mentioned as a "bubble team"?
Marc

Marc, Northwestern can get in the NIT as long as they finish .500 or above. The Wildcats were 10-7 heading into the weekend and are in a tough spot because of the rest of the Big Ten schedule. They'll have to steal more than just beating Iowa at home recently to get enough wins. But the Wildcats have improved and the league is abuzz about Vedran Vukusic. Bill Carmody's style is playing well in the league and causing teams to think too much about playing the Wildcats.

Just a quick comment. Loved your series on the "Three Year Plan." It was entertaining, and speaks volumes about the college game in this era of high schoolers and underclassmen skipping for the draft. I just found one item I would like to discuss. When listing the seniors that are making an impact in the college game, you neglected to mention Udonis Haslem. I feel his coming back (he could have entered last year, if Donnell Harvey can be drafted, certainly Udonis can.) I simply thing he needs his props. He's a good guy and on a contending team, and he has got some mad skills. Can you please, in future, not over look such an important guy who shows what staying in college for four years can do. Thanks.
Craig
Washington D.C.

You're right, Craig. Udonis has improved his draft chances by staying four seasons. He has become a much better scorer and passer over the last two seasons. He's also been one of the consummate team players during his tenure at Florida.

When will N.C. State start getting some respect. They have beat two top-10 teams on the road and played Maryland close. Why is the pack still unranked? They have shown that they can win in the ACC by beating Florida State, Clemson, Virginia and Georgia Tech. When is everyone going to take notice?
Matt Skidmore
Raleigh, N.C.

Matt, Herb Sendek is the favorite right now for coach of the year in the ACC. Is that enough? The Wolfpack might not be ranked, but if he wins the award and N.C. State gets an NCAA Tournament bid, then the praise will certainly follow.

Excuse me? Am I the only one that sees a flaw in your logic? In your most recent "The Word's Answer Man", you seem to use different sides of the same argument in the same column! When asked about Cincinnati, you say they are pounding opponents and have a chance to run the table in CUSA. But when asked about Ohio State, you say you have no problem with them being ranked since their non-conference schedule is so bad.

Well I hate to inform you, but according to the RPI (for what it's worth) Cincy has a 60 SOS compared to Ohio St at 47. The best team Cincy has beaten is Mississippi State, which has played an even bigger bunch of nobodies than Cincy. And while Ohio State hasn't beaten many people either, they at least have victories over Iowa and N.C. State.

So how can one team with a weak schedule and no good wins (in a weak conference) be a legitimate top 10 team and another team with a weak schedule and no good wins be justafiably unranked?

I'm not even an Ohio State fan and really couldn't care less about either team, except now Cincinnati is ranked above Oklahoma in the polls and I think people need to really look at their schedule before they consider them a Final Four candidate. Maybe OU should have scheduled Coppin State instead of Maryland.
Michael Pogue
Norman, Okla.

Sorry, this is my opinion. I don't care about what the rankings say. Cincinnati is a better team than Ohio State, defensively and offensively. The Bearcats play harder and probably would have done better against Ohio State's schedule. This doesn't mean Ohio State isn't worthy of its ranking, but the Buckeyes are not on the same level with Cincinnati, yet.

The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll is starting to become somewhat of a joke. How can Temple (6-10, 3-2 A-10) receive 16 votes -- the same amount as St. Joe's (5-0 A-10) and Xavier (13-3, 5-0 A-10)? I respect John Chaney and I know that they play a tough schedule each year, but they should not recieve 16 votes. Those votes could help other teams such as St. Joe's and Xavier. Do these coaches even look at the ballots? What is your opinion? Thanks!
Shaun
Cincinnati

I couldn't agree more. Temple never should have received votes in that poll. The poll has been flawed all season. Iowa shouldn't have been ranked last week and Boston College shouldn't have either. Texas and Connecticut should have been in the poll. The poll is sponsored by ESPN and USA Today, but the coaches need to do a better job of really looking at who they are voting for each week. They don't need to be first early on Sunday, they need to be correct and if that means waiting until Sunday's scores are in or taking the day to think about the poll, then the poll should be on Monday.

Andy, It's time to get some discussion started on the high school McDonald's All-American team. Down here in Texas -- specifically the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex -- we have a senior class that could be the best ever in terms of talent out of this area. Dallas Lincoln PF/C Chris Bosh (headed to Georgia Tech); The Colony SG Bracey Wright (Indiana), and Cedar Hill PG/SG Daniel Horton (Michigan) are the top players out of here (with Lincoln PG Bryan Hopkins and The Colony PG Deron Williams not far behind). Bosh, Wright, and Horton are all consensus Top 25 players by all the recruiting services. Do you think all three have a good shot at making the McDonald's All-American team? Do Hopkins and Williams (both consensus Top 50) have a chance? If this somewhere like NYC or Chicago where hoops is big I wouldn't question it, but this is Texas, and prior to this season, it's obviously been known more for football than basketball around here. Add in the fact that Brad Buckm -- out of Austin's Westlake seems to also be a candidate -- could there possibly be as many as four (or five or six?!?) McD's AAs out of the Lone Star State? In terms of talent, all the players I've mentioned are worthy -- I'm just curious if the committee would be willing to select so many kids from Texas. Thanks for any insight.
Jed Tai
Dallas

Jed, Unfortunately the McDonald's selections are always political (see: players from the highest profile schools in the ACC). But this is a season to really test the game. If Texas doesn't dominate the game then there is something wrong. The McDonald's award should represent a player's high school season and not how well he played in the summer or what school he signed with in the fall. Also, off court issues can and should be a factor in the decision of who will be selected.

How come you guys never hype Arizona State's Chad Prewitt on ESPN? He was the Pac-10 player of the week two weeks ago and is averaging over 20 point per game in the league, while leading the Devils to a 10-6 record. Is he good enough to take ASU to the next level?
Dwayne
Flemingsburg, Ky.

Dwayne, We did give Chad a lot of coverage Wednesday night on College Hoops Tonight when he lit up Arizona. Prewitt has been the most consistent player for the Sun Devils this season. But he needs to lead this team to a road win for them to get to the next level -- the NCAA Tournament. ASU is in a tight spot right now for a bid.

I would like to know how in the world Steve Logan of the Cincinnati Bearcats was left off the Wooden Award Finalist list. If you can name 10 players better, much less 30, then I will shut up. Thanks
Andrew Kneflin, USAF
Manta City, Ecuador

Logan should be on any formal list for player of the year. He won't win (Jason Williams will) but he is in the top 10. Logan has been one of the most improved and influential players on a team this season. He has led the Bearcats offense and spearheaded their defensive pressure in making Cincinnati a potential top-seeded team.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. He answers questions on college basketball weekly.